Radio+Television Business Report

From our interview this week with the part-owner, GM and News Director of a 1,000-watt AM serving Plattsburgh, N.Y., to exclusive conversations with SBS President/COO Albert Rodriguez, groupM’s Brian Wieser, AURN’s Chesley Maddox-Dorsey and musicFIRST’s Joe Crowley, the RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, offers more insight on the key topics of interest to broadcast media’s C-Suite leadership. As 2021 soon comes to a close, take a moment and enjoy one of nearly 170 audio reports hosted by Radio + Television Business Report Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson.  

(function(r,d,u) { var s = d.createElement(r); s.async = true; s.setAttribute('data-cfasync', false); u += '&cb=' + Date.now() + Math.random(); s.src = u; var n = d.getElementsByTagName(r)[0]; n.parentNode.insertBefore(s, n); })('script',document,'//radioink.engine.adglare.net/?721481329'); Each InFOCUS Podcast places a spotlight on the key news makers who shape broadcast media in Washington, drive its future through station transactions, and those providing the latest tech products of interest to the industry.

 

For a full menu of our podcasts, simply click here

The President/CEO and the COO of Hearst Television’s Litton Entertainment arm have announced that they will each retire from their roles at the end of the year.

This puts Frank Biancuzzo, president of the recently created Hearst Media Production Group, in a position to directly oversee Litton.

Litton Entertainment is one of broadcast television’s top content providers, both in the U.S. and in the international marketplace. NATPE Miami is one of the big marketplaces for Litton, and come January its founder and chief executive, Dave Morgan, and Chief Operating Officer Pete Sniderman will no longer be involved in the operation.

Commenting on their retirement, Biancuzzo said, “Over the course of three decades, Dave has built a tremendous organization, recognized by the industry for unique programming that entertains, educates and inspires. Together with Pete Sniderman, they’ve positioned the company for an exciting and innovative period of growth.”

Commenting on his departure on December 31, Morgan said, “I’m most proud of our Litton partnerships and my Litton colleagues who helped me define the gold standard in quality, educational television in America. I leave the television industry better than I found it. We created a great company, and we’re pleased that Hearst Media Production Group will bring the resources to help grow Litton to the next level.”

Sniderman added, “I’m so gratified to have had the opportunity to make a contribution to programming that educated generations of young people. And I’m excited for the future of the enterprise — the people and the projects.”

Moving forward, Litton Entertainment’s management and creative teams, under the direction of Biancuzzo and the Hearst Media Production Group, will continue to expand original programming across linear and streaming platforms for domestic and international distribution.

Hearst acquired a majority interest in Litton Entertainment in 2017, and the balance in 2021, perhaps explaining the timing on the retirement of its founder/CEO and its COO.

Morgan created Litton Entertainment in 1989; he resides in Charleston, S.C.

Sniderman has been with Litton since 1995.

The E.W. Scripps Co.‘s digital multicast network super-serving African Americans has a new leader, effective today.

Taking the spot within the Scripps Networks arm is an individual who has held various roles at the network since it was launched in 2011 as the first offering from Katz Networks.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

SANTA CLARITA, CALIF. — From Fresno to Bakersfield, she was widely known as “a first-class executive who is efficient, effective, and engaged.” One former co-worker took to LinkedIn to take note of her understanding of the media business, calling it “exceptional, earning her deep respect by those who work with her.”

Now, media and marketing leaders from across the San Joaquin Valley are paying tribute to Mary Lou Gunn, who died on November 24 after a brief illness.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

On November 24, three men were convicted of murder Wednesday in the February 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man on a leisurely run through a residential community near Brunswick, Ga. The trio of strangers, all of whom are Caucasian, trapped Arbery on a quiet street and, subsequently, used a shotgun to kill him.

The case drew national attention and condemnation for its racial overtones. Locally, a radio element surfaced that Media Services Group Managing Director Eddie Esserman — himself a licensee in the Brunswick area — believes is overlooked.

It involves a Talk radio station owned by iHeartMedia.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

The future of a 630-watt FM radio station atop Mt. Hunsack, serving Somerset County, Pa., is now a bit clearer, thanks to a two-page Termination Order released Wednesday (12/1) by the FCC‘s Administrative Law Judge.

The station’s owner, convicted of a felony and multiple misdemeanors under the Pennsylvania Crimes Code and charged with voyeurism and soliciting men to establish rape of a female, can no longer control the facility.

In fact, the owner’s inaction made the decision easy for Jane Halprin.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Radio Guest Quest, a celebrity guest booking service for radio stations, is moving its affiliate and advertising sales operations to Gen Media Partners’ G Accelerate Networks.

The announcement was made by Jim Higgins, President and Chief Executive Officer of G Accelerate Networks; and Art Sears, Founder and Host of Radio Guest Quest, and a former morning show executive producer.

“Art and Radio Guest Quest are well known across the industry for securing and delivering interviews with marquee-status celebrities and delivering personalized services, including one-on-one communications with radio show producers,” Higgins said. “We’re excited that Radio Guest Quest is joining G Accelerate Networks, as we build out our portfolio of top-quality programs and services for radio stations.”

Sears added, “I have worked with Jim in the past and signing with him and G Accelerate Networks was an easy decision. Jim is a consummate network radio executive who knows how to build an exceptional team that understands what stations need and what advertisers want.

Sears also notes that, as he produced radio morning shows “for years and saw the need for someone to help book guests,” the business need was clear. “With meetings and early hours, it’s difficult for a producer to find the time to book guests,” he said. “I also find that publicists respond more readily to one email that can satisfy all their radio needs, rather than individual requests from stations across the country.”

Celebrity guests previously booked by Radio Guest Quest for radio station interviews include Ron Howard, Kevin Costner, Spike Lee, Chance the Rapper, Steve Martin, LeAnn Rimes, and Anderson Cooper.

NEW YORK — Univision Communications has teamed with IPG’s media agency Mediahub in forging a partnership with EDO Inc. and datafuelX — an arrangement Univision says will allow it “to leverage proprietary consumer behavior data to predict engagement performance for advertiser campaigns across Univision’s linear networks.”

It’s a first-of-its-kind partnership, says Univision — one that allows the multimedia company serving Spanish-speaking audiences across the U.S. “to demonstrate the potential for true data-driven media planning and value for marketers.”

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), the global business association for content producers, distributors, streamers and buyers across all platforms, has unveiled the recipients for its 2022 Iris Awards. 

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

NEW YORK — With the transition in power from Vince Sadusky to Wade Davis at Univision Communications in January 2021, a veteran sales executive exited the multimedia company devoted to serving U.S. Hispanic consumers.

Now, he’s resurfaced at one of the fastest growing competitors to Univision.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Say goodbye to the logo accompanying this story, and to the “MDP” stock symbol from our daily Wall Street Report.

Meredith Corporation as you knew it is now another faded company of broadcast media’s past, as Gray Television on Wednesday completed its $2.8 billion merger and subsequent spin-off of its non-local broadcast television assets to the Barry Diller-led IAC.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

The last remaining properties tied to Red River Broadcast Co. have been spun, in a transaction that saw Kalil & Co. serve as the exclusive broker in the transaction signed off by Kathy Lau and John Exline.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the first time since 1992, reauthorization of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) could be at hand.

A bill introduced Wednesday by the Senate Commerce Committee’s Ranking Member and the top Republican on the House Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband would do so. And, the legislation would also reform NTIA’s role in a way.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Russell Senate Office Building is just a one-mile walk from the FCC’s new headquarters. Yet, the path for Gigi Sohn in earning the role of a Democratic Commissioner at the agency may be as wide as the Anacostia River.

With vocal support from some and vehement opposition from others, Sohn’s selection by President Biden to fill out the FCC has become one of the most controversial in modern times. On Wednesday, Senate Commerce Committee Members scrutinized Sohn, along with three other nominees for governmental agencies.

While there were some fireworks, the midday session was as emblematic of a Capitol Hill nomination hearing.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

NEW YORK — The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM), in conjunction with Project X Institute’s Jon Watts and Alan Wolk of TVREV, have announced the development of a “Guide to Converged TV Measurement Providers.”

Upon completion in early 2022, the guide seeks to provide a landscape of the entire Converged TV measurement ecosystem in the U.S, as well as a comparative analysis of the companies who are conducting converged TV audience measurement.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

It uses a 250-watt FM translator covering much of the Huntsville, Ala., metropolitan area, even parts of Decatur.

Soon, it will no longer be the home of an iHeartMedia “ALT”-branded modern rock presentation relaying broadcasts found on the HD3 signal of Class C2 WQRT-FM “100.3 The River.”

That’s because the FM translator’s licensee is selling the facility to Educational Media Foundation.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Outside, the weather couldn’t be more perfect for the first day of December, with bright sun and temperatures in the mid 50s.

Inside the Russell Senate Office Building on the north side of Capitol Hill, things couldn’t be sunnier for acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, who is one step closer to having the “acting” title removed from her business cards.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

He was a husband, a father, and a “Poppy.” And, he was the founder and President of the Daystar Television Network, a faith-based operation seen on owned-and-operated stations across the U.S. and a channel nationally distributed on Comcast, DirecTV and Dish Network. In Canada, it is available on Bell TV.

Marcus Lamb has passed away at the age of 64.

The cause of death: COVID-19.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

In May, an African American media mogul whose holdings include The Weather Channel, Entertainment Studios and a collection of broadcast television stations including Hawaii’s ABC affiliate sued one of the world’s biggest quick-service restaurant companies for racial discrimination.

It was a whopping $10 billion lawsuit, filed in response to what was perceived as an unacceptable level of advertising commitment the QSR giant has given to his broadcast and cable properties.

On Tuesday (11/30), U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin, who is based in Los Angeles, ruled on the matter. And, it’s a big win for McDonald’s.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)